Furnace attachment



(No Model.)

"J. M. DICK.

FURNACE ATTAGHMENT.

Patented Apr. 26, 1887.

@Viimaooeo I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS MATIER DICK, GREENSBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA.

FU RNAC E ATTACH M ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.-361,933, dated April 26, 1887.

Application filed July 24, 1886. Serial No. 208,977. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ULIUs MATTER DICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greensborough, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Furnace Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in attachments to furnaces for curing tobacco; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a removable front and grate forfurnaces of this description which is adapted to be very readily attached thereto and at a slight cost, the said front being provided with a door and a damper, whereby the heat and products of combustion are prevented from escaping from the front end of the furnace, and whereby the draft can be regulated therein so as to insure a proper combustion of fuel, and these objects I attain by the construction hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an ordinary tobacco-drying furnace, showing my improvements attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing two of the furnaces employed in connection with a tobacco-house, and also the device for ascertaining the temperature of the interior. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the separale grate-sections. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same with its supportingfoot detached.

In Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the lower portion of a tobacco-barn, and B represents the common brick furnaces forheating the barn. Pipes 0 extend from the rear end of the said furnaces in the usual manner through the barn, so as to convey the heat therethrough. Furnaces thus constructed have heretofore not been provided with grates or with doors for closing their front sides, thus resulting in a very imperfect combustion of fuel in the furnaces, and also rendering it difficult to keep the fire going therein. To remedy these defects I provide a front, B, which is made of cast-iron or other suitable material and is adapted to fit over the open front end of the same, and the front in use.

is provided at its upper end and at the sides with lugs or ears E, to which are attached hookrods F, that are adapted to engage staples G, which are secured in the wall or sides of the barn, and thus secure the front B firmly on the front open side of the furnace. The said front is provided in its upper side with an opening, H, and a hinged door, I, to cover the said opening, and at the lower end of the front is a draft-opening, K, and a hinged door, L. to cover the same. The bar or portion M of the front between the openings H and K is provided on its inner side with a horizontal flange, N.

0 represents a grate, which is cast in separable sections P. Each section contains two or more grate-bars joined together at their front and rear ends. The front end of each section is adapted to engage and bear upon the flange N, and the rear end of each section is provided with a supporting-foot, B. These feet are provided on their upper sides with vertical lugs or studs S, which fit in rectangular openings T that are made in the rear ends of the gratesections, whereby the said feet are rendered readily detachable fromv the grate-sections. These feet, when the grate-sections are in position in the furnace, support the rear ends thereof at a suitable distance above the bottom of the furnace, thus forming an ash-pit under the grate-bars and a combustion-chamher over them. By providing the door with the flange N, and adapting the front ends of the gratesections to engage the same, the said front ends of the grate-sections are supported when they are located in the furnace. This construction is also advantageous for the reason that it enables the grate-sections to be readily attached to the door when setting up the furnace and as readily detached therefrom when it becomes necessary or desirable, after the tobacco is cured, to dismantle the furnace. The grate is made in separable sections, in order to facilitate handling the same when setting up the furnace or taking it apart, and this also enables the grate to be packed or stored in a small space for transportation or when not This design is also facilitated by making the legs R detachable from the rear ends of the grate-sections.

The fuel is fed to the furnace through the as to create active combustion in the furnace by admitting asufficient quantity of air to the fuel therein.

In order to ascertain the correct temperature of the interior of the barn Without the necessity of entering the same, I extend a pipe, U, into the barn. The said pipe has its rear end open, and the front end thereof extends to the Wall or side of the barn and leads to a closed chamber, V, having a glass face, V, and a closing door, 'W. A thermometer is located in the case V.

In order to ascertain the temperature of the interior of the barn, it is only necessary to open the door V'and observe the thermometer in the case through the glass face thereof.

A detachable grate and front thus constructed is very cheap and simple, and may be readily attached to the common form of open-front tobacco-furnaces.

Having thus described my invent-ion, I claim 1. The attachments for open'front furnaces,

comprising the detachable front having the flange N on its inner side and the grate made of separable sections and having its front end engaging the flange N and supported thereby, and provided with the detachable supportingfeet R at its rear end, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JULIUS MATIER DICK. \Vitnesses:

LEVI M. Scorr, CALEB A. Boon. 

